Archive for August 3rd, 2012

Low blow: Reid accuses Romney of being in the majority … not the 1%.

August 3, 2012

In a Huffington Post article, former boxer and now (punch-drunk) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid charged that Mitt Romney …

“ …didn’t pay taxes for 10 years!

Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain,” said Reid.

“But obviously he can’t release those tax returns.

How would it look?

Hmmm.

If true, that puts Romney in good company: the roughly 50% of tax filers who pay no income taxes.

Suddenly, Mitt’s a person of the people  … a populist.

OMG.

* * * * *
P.S. Even Jon Stewart called out Reid on this one!

Watch the vid clip …

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Posted in 2012 Campaign, Taxes | Leave a Comment »

The streak rolls on: BLS under-reports initial unemployment claims … again!

August 3, 2012

Now we’re up to 72 out of 73 weeks — and, at least 13 weeks in a row — that the BLS’s “headline number” has under-reported the number of initial unemployment claims … and cast the jobs situation as brighter than it really is.

Based on Thursday’s BLS report, the number for the week ending July 21 was revised upward from 353,000 to 357,000.

In itself, the 4,000 isn’t a big deal.

But, in context it is

Again, I ask: statistical bias or political bias?

If the former: fix it already, BLS.

Hint to BLS: just add 2k or .8% to your prelim forecast !

image

* * * * *

Almost forgot …

Ahead of this morning’s BLS unemployment report, Gallup’s unemployment rate bumped up .2% during July and first time unemployment claims increased last week.

My bet BLS will claim we’re steady at 8.2% … and, further nick their credibility.

image

Errata: last line of chart should be dated 7/28/12 … sorry.

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Posted in BLS, Employment - Jobs, Unemployment | Leave a Comment »

Trespassers will be arrested and prosecuted … why?

August 3, 2012

I went to an Orioles game last week and was struck by a grand irony.

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To provide context & contrast, remember a couple of years ago when an SEIU mob swarmed the house of a B of A executive?

Happened that Nina Easton – a Fortune reporter – lived next door, was at home to witness the events, and wrote about the incident in Fortune:

Last Sunday, on a peaceful, sun-crisp afternoon,  my front yard exploded with 500 screaming, placard-waving strangers on a mission to intimidate my neighbor, Greg Baer.

Baer is deputy general counsel for corporate law at Bank of America.

Waving signs denouncing bank “greed,” hordes of invaders poured out of 14 school buses, up Baer’s steps, and onto his front porch.

Baer’s teenage son Jack — alone in the house — locked himself in the bathroom. “When are they going to leave?” Jack pleaded when I called to check on him.

Police were summoned, but stood by idly … letting the mob rule.

Hmmm.

OK, now fast forward to my trip to Camden Yards.

A couple of times during the game the scoreboard flashed:

“Trespassing on the field is a crime.  Violators will be arrested and prosecuted.”

Tell me, why is it a major crime for some drunk jackass to run across the field and slide into one of the bases?

Practically everybody in the park belly laughs watching, nobody gets hurt.

OK, a too-long game gets extended by a couple of more minutes.

So what?

Last year at an O’s game, a wingnut ran around the field eluding a pack of cops and was about to slide into home plate when an umpire tackled him.

Citizen’s arrest, I guess.

Geez.

Now, back to my serious point.

Is running on a baseball field such an threatening act that police need to rush onto the field to corral and cuff the perp?

Apparently, yes.

So then, why don’t cops feel obligated to cuff somebody when their mob threatens a 14 year old kid?

Seems to me like something is badly out of whack.

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Posted in Laws - Very Strange | 1 Comment »